


in sickness and in health (and all the neediness in between)

by NoBloodNoCookie



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-24 16:36:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17104202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoBloodNoCookie/pseuds/NoBloodNoCookie
Summary: For the prompt: Kara loses her powers and comes down with a cold. Lena takes care of her on her day off.





	in sickness and in health (and all the neediness in between)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DreaDuQuesne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreaDuQuesne/gifts).



> For Drea, my main squeeze. I stuck to my guns and this fic is as much as a sap as I am. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Take a shot every time Lena says, "what?" 
> 
> Happy Holidays folks!

Lena isn’t alone when she wakes.

 

Kara is lying next to her, absolutely dead to the world, still dressed in her super suit, one strong arm ( _goddamn_ ) wrapped around Lena’s waist. Somehow Lena’s head is nestled on the El emblem and the one leg that is bootless is tangled with both of hers.

 

It’s a scene from one of those dreams that are hidden away in one of her deepest boxes.

 

Pulling herself free from Kara isn’t easy - not physically but mostly because she just wants to stay in those arms for just about ever and ever, but thoughts like those are exactly why she needs to pull away, so she does.

 

It’s only a quarter past six when she looks at the clock and ugh, she can’t believe she woke up before her alarm on a day she could have she was sleeping with Kara, ahem, _next_ to Kara.

 

Sighing, she turns off her alarm so it wouldn’t wake Kara and went to make herself some coffee. She would at least need 3 cups to calm her body down from this harrowing experience.

 

\--

 

She’s showered, eaten and read all the press coverage about Supergirl fighting an mini army of Helgrammites when Alex calls.

 

“Have you seen Kara?”

 

“Good morning to you too, Alex. How’d you sleep? I slept fantastic, thanks for asking.”

 

“Ugh, fine. Good morning Lena, how are you? Did you eat? You sleep well? How’s the family? You hear from anyone lately?” Alex asks, her voice saccharine.

 

Lena rolls her eyes and decides she needs to get Alex back for that cheap shot. “If you’re looking for your sister, asshole, she’s passed out exhausted in my bed.”

 

Alex lets out a sigh of relief and then drawls out “oh, that’s why you slept fantastic huh?”

 

Lena groans and Alex chuckles triumphantly.

 

“ _Moving on,”_ Lena stresses, “I think she just came here in the middle of the night. She must be really knackered, I made pancakes and even that smell couldn’t wake her.”

 

Alex hums in agreement. “She looked about ready to pass out when she finally left the DEO last night. I promised to get her breakfast but her bed was empty,” and now Alex’s voice takes on a teasing tone, “so I figured she’d be at her other apartment.”

 

“Alex, don’t,” Lena warns lightly.

 

“I’m just saying that she spends almost the same amount of time at your apartment as she does in her own _home_.”

 

“That doesn’t mean anything. We’re best friends,” Lena defends halfheartedly.

 

“Ugh,” Alex murmurs in disgust at the phrase she’s heard _way too many_ times from both of them. “I’m also saying you’re both dummies that just need admit that you’re really hot for each and need to um, deal with it, so I don’t have to watch Kara look at you the same way she does her potstickers.”

 

Lena snorts. Alex makes it too easy. “I’m going to skip the mandatory eating out joke my lesbian genes demand I make because it’s your baby sister.”

 

“Ew! Just for that, Sam isn’t coming into work til this afternoon. Okie, bye!”

 

\--

 

Kara still doesn’t wake up at the time Lena usually heads to work.

 

Now slightly concerned, Lena heads to their - her! She heads to _her_ bedroom, in her apartment that she stays in. Alone.

 

She sits on the edge of the bed next to Kara and shakes her shoulders gently. She gets no response. Moving even closer, she whispers, “Kara, wake up. You’re going to be late for work.”

 

Kara stirs. Groans. Sneezes.

 

Wait, what?

 

“Hey, how you feeling? You okay?”

 

Kara crawls to move her head from the place on the pillow onto burrows her face into Lena’s lap instead. “Looks like I blew out my powers. My head is killing me and my throat burns and breathing hurts! Fix me, Lena! Please. I think I’m dying.”

 

Lena can’t help but laugh. “Kara, I promise you’re not dying okay? Now turn over so I can look at you.”

 

Kara turns over slowly, her eyes widening when she looks up at Lena’s face. “Do you always look this good in the morning?”

 

Lena tries not to blush as she slaps away Kara’s hands raising up to touch her face. “Stop,” she ducks her head to hide her grin. “Let me take a closer look at you.”

 

“Whatever you say, _Doctor Luthor_ ,” Kara winks up at her, making a show of taking her hands away from Lena’s hands and folding them.

 

She wasn’t even a medical doctor but Jesus fucking Christ, could Kara never stop calling her that? Shaking her head to clear it - she didn’t even know she had that specific kink, but she supposed anything Kara called her would turn on - she laid her hand on Kara’s forehead.

 

“Darling, you’re burning up,” she notices Kara opening her mouth and decides to cut her off, “if you make a joke about you being hot, I swear to God Kara, I’ll stop buying you potstickers.”

 

That shut up her pretty quickly. Trying not to smile, Lena examined her further. It was nothing but a typical fever and a cold. Deciding to get her some food and an Advil, she tries to move, but Kara grabs onto her.

 

“No,” she whines, “you can’t leave me in my time of need like this!”

 

“Kara, oh my God, I’m just going to get you some food and an Advil. They’re going to make you feel better. Then I have to go to work, okay?”

 

“But Lena,” Kara looks at her with _those eyes_ and _that pout_ and suddenly Lena can’t bring herself to move at all, “ _you_ make me feel better.”

 

And fuck, how was Lena supposed to say anything to that?

 

\--

 

She calls Jess to tell her that she was taking the day off, not thinking about the way Jess snorts when she says she’s going to spending the day taking care of Kara, then convinces Kara to change out of her super suit into her pajamas. She grumbles about doing it at human speed but is placated soon enough when Lena gives her Lena’s MIT pullover that she wears whenever she’s over at the penthouse.

 

Ignoring the voice in her head, one that sounds suspiciously like Alex, yelling at her that all of this wasn’t typical friend behavior, she manages to get Kara fed, medicated and tells her to go to bed. Then she heads off into her home office to finish reviewing the contracts that were on her to-do list today.

 

But of course, things never go according to Lena's plan because Kara doesn’t listen to her.

 

She’s on page three of the first contract, when a perfect blonde head pops up in the doorway.

 

“Lena,” Kara drawls out, a sheepish smile on her face.

 

“Kara, go back to bed,” Lena states, without looking up from her computer.

 

“But I can’t sleep without you! I need cuddles. And love. Lots of attention. And I need you to stroke my hair. Hold me until I fall asleep.”

 

At this Lena looks up, ignoring the extreme duress Kara is putting her heart under and frowns. “You are such a drama queen when you’re sick, thank God you’re literally invincible. Taking care of you is a full time job.” One that Lena would be honored to officially be hers, but she wasn’t going to tell Kara that.

 

“Yes, but I have a best friend who is here to give me everything I want and to love me forever no matter how demanding and needy I get, so,” Kara trails off with a shrug, shooting Lena a cheesy grin.

 

Lena did not immediately give in, no she absolutely did not. She didn’t shut down her laptop and follow a smug Kara into the bedroom like she the pushover she was.

 

Nope, that didn’t happen.

\--

 

A couple of minutes later, they’re very cozy under a ton of fuzzy blankets, wrapped up in each other and Lena is stroking Kara’s hair (what Kara wants, she gets of course) when Kara opens her mouth to say something. Then closes it.

 

She repeats the same process four times until Lena laughs softly. “What is it? You know you can tell me anything.”

 

Kara stays silent for a bit longer, until she asks, “Can I ask you anything too?”

 

“You know you can.”

 

“Earlier, you didn’t deny it. When I said you’d give me anything I want.”

 

Lena rolls her eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t already know that and take advantage of that fact, literally, whenever you can. Last week I stopped collecting rent from you in monopoly because you said ‘please don’t do this to me, Lena’ in your saddest voice. Few days before that, I ate the Big Belly Burger meal you got me, Kara! Do you know how many calories are in one Big Belly Burger meal?”

 

Kara looks stupid affronted. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that. That was one of the best burgers you have ever eaten, Lena and you know it. You can’t go around insulting food like that when you’re with me.”

 

Lena backtracks immediately, smiling apologetically at Kara’s offended face. “You’re right, you’re right. That was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, but my point still stands. I can’t bring myself to deny you anything.”

 

“Hey, I ate kale chips for you and watched those weird and boring French movies with subtitles that are inexplicably sad for no reason every time you give me those sad eyes, so who is really the pushover in this relationship?”

 

“That is absurd and-” Lena takes a deep breath, not wanting to open this can of worms that would just have them listing the ridiculous (and occasionally romantic, but hey we weren’t talking about that, remember?) things they did to keep each other happy. She calms down and looks at Kara who is staring at her with a dopey smile.

 

“What?” Kara just shakes her head, so Lena doesn’t push it further. “What were you going to ask me?”

 

“I was just thinking about something and you just inadvertently proved my point.”

 

“Which is?”

 

Kara ducks her head shyly and grabs Lena’s hand that previously in her hair, gently entangling their fingers. Their hands always did look good together. Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, but Kara seemed to be feel the same too, as her gaze lingered on their hands for a few seconds longer, her soft smile growing bigger the longer she shared at their hands.

 

She finally exhales shakily, looks up into Lena’s eyes and says, “That we would do anything for each other - no matter how annoying, time consuming, dangerous or even disgusting, because kale is the single _grossest_ thing ever to exist.”

 

Lena nods slightly because that was the truest thing in her world. She would do _anything_ , without question, to keep Kara safe.

 

To keep her happiness safe.

 

“Unequivocally, Kara,” Lena promises, sealing it with a kiss to Kara’s forehead, who grins in response and snuggles even closer, wrapping both of her hands around Lena.

 

“So, I kind of need to know something else too?”

 

“Why do you suddenly have so many questions?” Lena boops Kara’s nose in mock annoyance. “I thought the whole point of you being wrapped around me like a boa constrictor and me attending to your every need was so that you could get some rest.”

 

“Okay, last one, I swear! Well this is a more I have to tell you kind of situation than me asking you something.”

 

At Lena’s nod, Kara untangles herself from Lena and sits up, her cute face pensive. Whatever this was clearly meant a lot to Kara - enough to separate them, so this must clearly be a big deal. Lena naturally follows suit.

 

“You feeling okay? Do you need more Advil?”

 

“Yeah, fine,” Kara smiles at her quickly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Fidgeting with her hands, she says, “You know how earlier I said you were going to love me forever?”

 

Lena doesn’t understand where this is going, but her heart is in her mouth because any sentence with Lena, Kara and love in it was way too close to the truth than she was comfortable with. Not trusting her voice to say anything, she just smiles reassuringly at Kara and gestures for her to go on.

 

“I just wanted to tell you that, I will also love you forever. Like its a very mutual, shared love thing that’s going on here.”

 

“Um, okay?”

 

“It’s not the kind of love where if you’re sick, I’m just going to call and text to check on you and be like ‘I hope you’re feeling better, Lena.’ It’s the kind of love where I’m going to be with you, all the time, till you’re annoyed with me because I’m going to keep insisting that you eat and sleep more and work less. I’m going to be here with yucky pine candles that you’re so obsessed with and chicken noodle soup and that weird classical music that you like, offering you a massage and heating pads or ibuprofen.”

 

“Are you saying that you need donut candles, potstickers and pop music right now? Because that’s all I’m gathering from this long winded speech,” Lena teases, still not understanding where Kara was going with this because they already did things like that for each other.

 

“No, ugh, you don’t - that’s not what I’m saying,” Kara sighs, her eyebrows crinkling in frustration. “Lena, I’m not going to go anywhere until I know you’re okay. I couldn’t imagine leaving your side if you were even in the slightest bit of pain. I just want to make everything better for you, I want to make _the world_ better for you.”

 

That declaration shocks Lena enough to bring tears to her eyes. She tries not to cry at the amount of love Kara has on display for her at the moment, but because she is a bit of a cry baby, she never really had a chance anyway. So she grabs Kara’s shoulders and pulls her into a rough hug that has her now-human body wincing slightly, but because she's Kara, she returns with equal ferocity.

 

“Thank you, Kara. Really,” Lena sniffles out. “I don’t know what to say except that you’re the best friend anyone could ever have and I’m beyond thankful to have you in my life. You know I feel the same way about you.”

 

Kara lets go of her at that, drops her face into her hands and lets out a muffled scream.

 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Lena asks, stroking Kara’s bicep up down, in an attempt to be comforting - an activity she she could happily dedicate the rest of her life to.

 

“Best friend? Lena, what the hell?” Kara bites out, waving her hands in a _what the fuck is wrong with you_ manner.

 

“What?” Lena feels she’s missing a very important, yet obvious part of the conversation, but she can’t figure out what.

 

“Do you think I’d offer to give Winn or Sam or Nia chicken noodle soup, candles, massages and offer to stay with them forever?”

 

“Is this a trick question?”

 

Kara grabs one of the pillows, twisting it in frustration, grumbling, “how is she supposed to be the smartest person I’ve ever met, when she’s also the dumbest?” When the pillow pops, covering both of them in down, Kara declares, “I can’t believe your obliviousness triggered my fight or flight responses so bad, I got my powers again.” She sighs dramatically. “Only Rao can save my sanity now.”

 

Filing away this whole power regaining thing away for future use, she pokes Kara in frustration. “Oh my God, just spit it out!”

 

Kara grabs Lena by the shoulders and looks right into her eyes. “You’re who I want to be with when I’m happy or tired or mad - that’s why I crashed here, instead of going home last night. I didn’t wanna be without you. You’re the person I want to care of me, give me all of their attention and love when I’m, admittedly rarely on this planet, sick. Everyone thinks I’m this selfless hero, but you make me want to be selfish. I just want you, all for myself, all the time. In all the ways.”

 

Lena can only stare blankly at Kara for a moment. Is she? Is she really saying all of things Lena thinks she's saying? Her heart is pounding away and she can't believe this is really happening. But she just needs to make sure because some things are too good to be true and this would be on the top of that list. “I just want to make sure, I’m reading this right. I know you’re annoyed with me, but just clarify this for me, okay?”

 

Kara inhales deeply, no trace of her previous anxiety on her perfect face, just calmness as she waits for Lena’s question.

 

“So everything you just said,” Lena pauses, watching Kara carefully, “you meant that in like a romantic way, right?”

 

Kara looks appalled. “Lesbians. Unbelievable,” she grumbles under her breath.  

 

She opens and closes her mouth multiple times as she tries to answer Lena’s question, unintelligible noises coming out ever so often, making her look like an adorable goldfish; before she squares her shoulders and resolve sets on her face. She moves closer to Lena, gently takes her face in her hands and murmurs, “Lena, I’m _ridiculously_ in love with you. Would you please, please let me kiss you?”

 

And Lena, for the first time in her life, doesn’t allow herself to think too much before doing something. Because right in front of her, is Kara. Her best friend. The love of her life. The person she would kill and die for, no questions asked. Kara Danvers is telling her, Lena Luthor, that she’s in love with her and is asking permission to kiss her?

 

Sometimes when a dream you spend what feels like forever dreaming of, comes true, it’s almost impossible to believe that it’s happening. That this is real life. That this is Lena’s life. It takes her moment, to make sure there aren’t her tears falling over the place, as Kara watches her with that same dopey smile as before.

 

Oh, that dopey smile is _love_. And is this really Lena’s life? Really? How wonderful.

 

So what can she do except nod like a crazy person? That’s clearly the only option because she doesn’t trust her voice yet.

 

Kara laughs loudly. “You understand this a I love you and I want to be with you kind of kiss? It’s supposed to be a romantic kiss, not a platonic pal smacking their lips together kind,” she teases Lena happily.

 

 _That_ makes her find her voice pretty soon. “Shut up and kiss me, asshole.”

 

When finally, their lips touch, Lena knows everything that’s led her up to this moment - losing her mom, the Luthors, watching Lex go mad - everything was worth it and she’d do it again, without even thinking about it, if it meant it would lead to this.

 

To the lightness of meeting Kara after the venture crash, to the joy slowly falling in love with her, to the pain of watching her with other people, to the reluctant amusement of taking care of her insufferable sick self, to kissing her.  _Kissing_ her. 

 

Lena isn’t alone anymore, she’s home.

 

 _Kara_ is her home.

\--  


"Wait, are you sure you should kiss me so soon after I had a cold?" 

 

"Eh, Supergirl will take care of me if I get sick. Don't tell anyone but I hear she's got a big thing for me." 

 

Kara only pushes her onto the bed and continues to kiss her despite the widening grins on their faces.


End file.
